DEAR DR. FOX: My 7-year-old mini poodle chews all the fur off his inner thighs, lower legs and feet. I have him on Cytopoint and Apoquel. I’m spending lots of money and not getting very far.

My opinion is that my energetic dog, who has won many AKC agility and obedience titles in past years, is bored and needs to run a much greater part of his day. I’m 82 years old and now live in a retirement community with no running area for him; I can’t give him the exercise and workouts we were doing just three years ago. His 15-minute daily walks with a paid dog-walker don’t tire him out at all. His temperament and energy remind me of the border collies I know.

Do you think I’m right, or is this just another unidentified food allergy? He didn’t have this problem when we were training and competing in obedience and agility events three years ago. Can’t do it now. -- J.B., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR J.B.: Dogs and cats will sometimes lick, scratch and fur-pull to the point of self-mutilation when they are frustrated or bored. Your theory may be correct. As an alternative, your dog may have a condition called trichotillomania, which is a compulsion to pull out one’s hair or fur. Our rescued cat Fanny pulls her fur out while she waits beside the door for her beloved Kota (our dog) to return from a walk.

In many instances, however, there is an underlying skin infection, parasite, thyroid gland dysfunction or allergy at play. Allergens can include food ingredients, grass or other environmental triggers (think dust mites in carpet). Keep your dog off the grass when being walked and have the dog-walker put a light coat on him.

Wean him off the Apoquel and Cytopoint and give him a teaspoon of local bee pollen in his food daily, plus a few drops of cod liver oil. Get some dog toys and encourage him to play interactive games with you indoors, and get some treat-containing puzzles he can solve, as well.

DEAR DR. FOX: I don’t eat seafood and my cat hates fish. Even so, I am concerned about many aspects of ocean pollution and ecology. Microplastics are now being found in human blood, and there are tons of plastics and other chemicals in the oceans. I see kelp being marketed in health care products and snacks for humans and pets, but then read about kelp containing arsenic. What about krill oil? That is marketed as an omega-3 super-supplement, but I thought whales depended on krill as a vital food source for their survival. -- R.E., Washington, D.C.

DEAR R.E.: First, all things in moderation. Never overdo any supplement, vitamin, mineral, herb or whatever. Kelp can contain small amounts of organic and inorganic arsenic, which is not likely sufficient to cause poisoning when small quantities of kelp are consumed. Ideally it should be farmed rather than wild-harvested, since the kelp forests of the oceans provide food and shelter for countless marine creatures. The overharvesting of seaweeds for human and livestock consumption is crippling this major carbon sink and life-sustaining ocean community of plants and algae.

Similarly, the harvesting of krill for cheap livestock and poultry feed, and the sale of krill oil to consumers and pet owners, must be curtailed. The great whales and other marine life, including birds, are starving to death as a consequence of overfishing, especially from the overharvesting of krill.

FRENCH COURT ORDERS 4G ANTENNA SWITCH-OFF

A French court found in favor of a farmer who said that a newly installed 4G antenna near his property was harming his cows. He said that milk production had dropped by 15%-20% in the days following the installation, and that 40 of his 200 cows had died. The antenna is to be shut off for two months while solutions are researched. (Full story: Connexion France, May 25)

The telecommunications industry is neither well- regulated by governments worldwide nor open to reducing its documented risks to humans and other animals. For more details, see drfoxonehealth.com/post/electropollution-existential-threat-to-public-health-and-life-on-earth.

UKRAININAN COUPLE RESCUES DOZENS OF ANIMALS

Veterinary student Anastasiya Tykha and her husband, Arthur Lee, led or carried two dozen animals -- 19 dogs, five cats, two Triton lizards, one hamster, one turtle, one chameleon and one axolotl -- 2 miles through Irpin, Ukraine, and across a bridge to relative safety. It took Tykha and Lee several trips, braving bombs and bullets each time, to evacuate the animals from a shelter Tykha has run for four years. “There were explosions and shooting, but after two weeks of Russian occupation, we were used to it,” Lee said. (Full story: The Guardian, May 23)

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: I strongly advise against feeding dogs, cats and ferrets any raw meats because of bacterial contamination from inhumanely raised factory farmed animals. Raw meat is likely to carry drug-resistant E. coli. This is an animal and public health risk that can sicken, or even kill, family members.

Salmonella is another common contaminant of pork, beef and poultry. While high-temperature cooking kills such harmful organisms (but does not remove residual endotoxins), it also denatures proteins, lowers the nutrient value and produces carcinogens. Irradiation kills these bacteria, but results in radiolytic breakdown products, which have killed cats fed irradiated canned cat food. In addition, animal parts condemned for human consumption, along with animal remains from roadkill, are rendered and included in livestock feed and many pet foods. (For details, see Susan Thixton’s post, “What are rendered ingredients?” at truthaboutpetfood.com/almost-everything-about-rendered-pet-food-ingredients.)

The safest option is to purchase pet foods made with meats from certified humanely raised farm animals. The foods should be slowly air-dried to retain nutrients, as with Wisdom’s dog foods and the Honest Kitchen’s cat and dog foods, all made with human-grade food ingredients.

All meat and meat-byproduct ingredients should be tested and declared safe by mainstream pet food manufacturers. This includes venison, which could be contaminated with the prion that caused the epidemic of chronic wasting disease in deer across the U.S. Like the prion that caused mad cow disease in the U.K., this deer prion could also jump to other species and cause disease.

Poultry ingredients should be tested and declared free of avian H5N1 influenza virus, which is responsible for the inhumane extermination of millions of factory farmed chickens and turkeys to control the spread of the disease. Fox cubs have died in Michigan, in Minnesota and in Ontario, Canada, following consumption of infected birds. Dogs and cats could also be at risk, which is another reason to keep cats indoors and dogs away from dead birds.

Safer alternatives are on the horizon of the now $37 billion U.S. cat and dog food industry, in the form of plant-based complete protein and fat substitutes. Some are already arriving on the market.

DEAR DR. FOX: My partner and I have both been ill with COVID-19. Can our 18-month-old goldendoodle catch it from us? And if so, what symptoms should we be aware of? -- S.M., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR S.M.: I hope you and your partner are in recovery and have no long-term consequences from this viral infection. It can indeed be passed on to dogs, cats, ferrets and hamsters by infected humans in the same home.

It is most notably infective of farmed mink, and mink have in turn infected humans. But there is no evidence to date that in-home pets can serve as reservoirs and infect humans. Many animals in zoos have become infected, including great apes, lions and other big cats. In the wild, white-tailed deer have been infected in several states.

Usually, the symptoms are mild in dogs, who may show respiratory problems and fever -- similar to the symptoms seen in dogs infected with a strain of the influenza virus this year, which can also infect cats.

People who test positive for COVID-19 should take every precaution in handling in-home animals by wearing a mask, washing hands before and after handling, and ideally isolating themselves and having others take care of their animals.

MORE HEALTH BENEFITS FOR CHILDREN WITH DOGS

The health benefits that dogs provide for children include a reduction in the incidence of allergies and a decreased need for antibiotics for ear infections. Now, a study presented at Digestive Disease Week 2022 reports that children who have close contact with dogs early in life may be less likely to develop Crohn’s disease. These findings support the belief that exposure to microbes early in life supports healthy immune function. Cat ownership at a young age was not similarly associated with a lower Crohn’s disease risk, said study leader Williams Turpin. (Full story: Healio, May 23)

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: I recently adopted a 2-year-old Chihuahua. She came from a breeder, who gave her up because the dog could not have puppies. They tried two times without success and then had no further use for her.

I had lost my 16-year-old Pekingese several months prior, and was looking for a new dog companion. My Pekingese's favorite toy from puppyhood until the day she passed was a small toy octopus named Inky. When I learned that the rescue Chihuahua's name was Inky, I had to immediately meet her. It felt like my Pekingese was giving me permission to move on.

Inky is very small, not quite 4 pounds. I don't think she was ever let out of a crate at the breeder's. She had not been spayed (but now has) and she is not housetrained; I am working with her, but it's going slowly.

She is very needy and only wants to be held. I think she never had much human interaction. She licks me, and herself, constantly. She is very sensitive to any noise. When I am not holding her, she runs in circles nonstop, and any attempt on my part to stop her is unsuccessful. The nonstop circle-running has me very concerned.

I love this little lady and want to give her a good life. I just don't know what to do to help her. Can you please give me some advice on her obsession with running in circles and any other insights? -- S.R., Trenton, New Jersey

DEAR S.R.: Poor little Inky! I would like to put the prior owner-breeder in a cage or crate for two years. I regard Inky as a sufferer of PTSD as a consequence of inhumane, and what should be illegal, treatment. Sadly, we are a long way from equal justice for all creatures.

Your dog is showing typical signs of obsessive-compulsive stereotypic behavior, which is driven by anxiety and excitement. Ask your veterinarian to try a small dose of any anxiety-relieving psychopharmaceutical such as Xanax or Prozac. I would also give her 0.5 mg of melatonin at bedtime and a tablespoon of home-cooked turkey, which contains calming tryptophan.

A squeaky toy might distract her from spinning and trigger her Chihuahua hunting spirit -- but later, perhaps, since right now, the noise might be terrifying. I once tried an obedience-training clicker on one of the dogs my wife, Deanna Krantz, rescued in India, and he turned to jelly with fear.

My book "The Healing Touch for Dogs" has helped many dogs like yours to become relaxed and recover their health and vitality. Keep me posted.

BREED AND SEX DIFFERENCES IN CANINE LONGEVITY

From a recently published study: Among 30,563 dogs that died between Jan. 1, 2016 and July 31, 2020, female dogs had a greater life expectancy than males (11.41 years compared to 11.07 years). Life expectancy tables varied widely between breeds. Jack Russell terriers had the longest life expectancy (12.72 years) and French bulldogs had the shortest (4.53 years).

(Study: "Life tables of annual life expectancy and mortality for companion dogs in the United Kingdom" by K. Ty. Teng, D.C. Brodbelt, C. Pegram et al. Published in Scientific Reports, April 28, 2022.)

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)